Disposable footprinter

ABSTRACT

A DISPOSABLE FOOTPRINTER HAVING INKED SURFACES TO RECEIVE PORTIONS OF THE FEET OF AN INFANT TO ENABLE PRINTS OR IMPRESSIONS THEREOF TO BE TRANSFERRED ONTO A SUITABLE RECEPTIVE MEDIUM SUCH AS PAPER. THE DEVICE IS FORMED OF A SHEET OF FOLDED PAPERBOARD HAVING OPPOSITE SIDES WHICH MAY HAVE INKED SURFACES APPLIED TO ONE OR BOTH OF THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF. THE SIDES ARE FOLDED ONE OVER THE OTHER WITH MEANS AT AN EDGE OF ONE OF THE SIDES TO CONFINE THE TWO IN FOLDED RELATION. THE SIDES ARE SO PROPORTIONED THAT ONE OF THEM WILL BE BOWED WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER SO AS TO HOLD THE INKED SURFACE SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND AGAINST RUBBING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACES OF THE FOLDED SHEET, THUS MAINTAINING THE MEDIUM IN CONDITION FOR PROPER IMPRESSION AND TRANSFER OF THE MARKING ONTO THE RECEPTIVE SURFACE.

March 13, 1973 L. LAUGHERTY cr AL 3,720,304

DISPOSABLE FOOTPHINTISR Filed June 22. 1971 United States Patent O 3,720,304 DISPOSABLE FOOTPRINTER Lorene Laugherty and James R. Laugherty, Knoxville, Tenn., assignors to Avis Research, Inc., Knoxville,

Filed June 22, 1971, Ser. N0. 155,453

Int. Cl. B65d 85/00 U.S. Cl. 20G-46 R 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A disposable footprinter having inked surfaces to receive portions of the feet of an infant to enable prints or impressions thereof to be transferred onto a suitable receptive medium such as paper. The device isformed of a sheet of folded paperboard having opposite sides which may have inked surfaces applied to one or both of the inner surface thereof. The sides are folded one over the other with means at an edge of one of the sides to confine the two in folded relation. The sides are so proportioned that one of them will be bowed with respect to the other so as to hold the inked surface spaced from each other and against rubbing engagement with the inner surfaces of the folded sheet, thus maintaining the medium in condition for proper impression and transfer of the marking onto the receptive surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements in Disposable Footprinters of the character used for applying ink to one or both feet of an infant to enable the markings on the infant to be transferred to a suitable receptive medium, such as a record card which may also contain a finger print of the mother.

It has long been known that footprinting of infants is the only practical means of identification and should be taken immediately after birth. The footprints are developed at that time, whereas finger prints are not fully developed until much later in the life span of the child. Many hospitals and also large municipalities now require positive footprints of each new born child so as to facilitate identication to avoid mix-up or in the event of theft or death. In most jurisdictions, it is desirable that the infiants footprint be printed alongside the mothers finger print or thumb print to correlate the child and mother and to obtain proper identification.

While inked pads are often employed in obtaining fingerprints of adults, these are not usable for infants because of the non-sterile conditions encountered with respect thereto. On the other hand, a` sterile pack is provided for each new born infant, containing all needed supplies for the treatment of the infant and to assure of maintaining a sterile condition with respect thereto. The footprinter should be disposable for one-time use so as to avoid the transfer of germs from one infant to another.

To obtain the proper footprinting results, the foot must be inked with a good grade of carbon ink so as to enable the distinctive ridge of the foot to be transferred onto a suitable receptive surface, such as gloss-coated paper. It has been proposed heretofore to provide suitable printing surfaces, but in those instances where a sheet is used to carry the inked surface, a cover on the sheet bears upon the inked surface and destroys the effective transfer characteristics thereof.

One object of this invention is to overcome the objections encountered heretofore with printing devices for this purpose and to insure that a good inked surface will be avaialable for effective transfer to a receptive surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable footprinter ink pad which will maintain the effective- 3,720,304 Patented Mar. 13, 1973 ness of the inked surface and which is easily sterilized and will not cause contamination from one use to another.

Still another object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction of footprinters to enable these to be manufactured inexpensively so as to be readily disposable after the one use.

These objects are accomplished, according to one ernbodiment of the invention, -by providing a folded sheet of paperboard material having front and back sections, one of which has an upturned liap to overlap the other with means for locking the sections in closed relation. The inner surface of one or both of the sections is provided with a coating of ink over an area thereof. It is preferred that both surfaces have such coating thereon so as to be used separately for the two feet of an infant or for one of the feet of the infant and the hand of the mother.

Means is provided for maintaining the inked surfaces separated from each other and in the case of one surface to maintain the opposed sections spaced therefrom to avoid damage to the inked surface or surfaces. This is accomplished preferably by forming the folded sections of such proportions that when these are interfolded one will be bowed with respect to the other, thereby maintaining them spaced from each other throughout the major portion of the width thereof, thus tending to keep one section spaced from the inked surface on the other section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the footprinter showing the sections open and exposed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the footprinter, with the sections folded in closed relation;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a cross section through the folded footprinter on the line 4 4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an end elevation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the preferred embodiment of 'the invention, the footprinter is made of a relatively thin sheet of paperboard material, all in one piece, such that it may be stamped out or cut to form the complete article. The paper stock includes a back section 1 and a front section 2 folded along a center line 3. The back section 1 also carries along one edge thereof a folded edge flap 4 which is folded with respect thereto along a fold line 5. These lines 3 and 5 should be scored or perforated to facilitate folding accurately, and for proper bowing of the cover section 2.

As a means of confining the parts in closed relation, a tab 6 is cut out of the cover section 2 so as to ber bent upward and to receive beneath the latter the folded iiap 4 in the relation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

In this embodiment of the invention, the inner faces of the sections 1 and 2 have inked areas 7 extending over a desired portion of each section. One or both inked areas may be used as desired according to the use of the printing device. For example, when the two inked surfaces are provided, one may be used for obtaining a footprint of the infant and the other for obtaining an impression of the mothers fingerprint or thumb print, or both of these inked surfaces may be employed for obtaining impressions o-f both feet of the infant. If used only for a fingerprint of an adult, one such surface may suffice.

The sections 1 and 2 are folded along the line 3 so as to confine the inked surface or surfaces 7 between the opposed faces of these sections so as to protect the inked surface or surfaces against smearing. Means is provided for maintaining the sections 1 and 2 in spaced relation from each other against contact of one surface against the inked surface on the other section opposite thereto.

According to this invention, the means for this purpose comprises the making of the section 2 of greater width than the Width of the section 1 between the fold lines 3 and 5 whereby the flooding of the section 2 over the section 1 will cause the former to be bowed substantially in the relation illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. This will serve to maintain the section 2 out of engagement with the opposed surface of the section 1 thus preventing smearing of the inked surface on one or both of the facing sides of these sections.

The impression device made according to this invention may be manufactured inexpensively, capable of one time use and then disposable. It may be entirely clean and sterile so as not to cause contamination from one use to another. It will assure an effective application of ink to the foot or to the hand or the like so that when applied to a suitable receptive medium, such as gloss-coated paper, proper identification may be obtained.

The impression device is not limited to the making of footprints of infants, but it may be used wherever it is desired to provide one or more inked surfaces for footprinting, fingerprinting or the like. It will protect the inked surface effectively and assure of proper inking of the ridges to be transferred to the receptive surface.

It has been found that a disposable footprinter ink pad is the best for use because it is easy to use, is clean, and is not contaminated from one use to another. Hospital personnel can be trained very easily, using the proper disposable footprinter pad with effective ink and with gloss-coated paper, to make footprints that will make a positive identification.

While thei nvention has been illustrated and described in one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

We claim:

1. A disposable unit for imparting a print to be transferred onto a receptive surface, comprising a sheet of material folded back upon itself intermediate its length forming back and front sections with a fold hinge line therebetween and having facing surfaces, an impression transfer area on one of said facing surfaces, said back section having a folded ap turned back upon itself at the edge thereof opposite from the fold hinge line to receive beneath the flap the adjacent edge of the front section holding one of said sections bowed with respect to the other and with the transfer area spaced from the facing surface on the other section.

2. A disposable unit according to claim l, wherein impression transfer areas are provided on both of the sections.

3. A disposable unit according to claim 1, wherein one of the sections is of greater length from the fold hinge line to opposite back-turned edge than the other section, and means at the free edge of said one section for holding said one section in bowed relation with respect to the other section and spaced from the impression transfer area.

4. A disposable unit according to claim 1, wherein the back section has a fiap along an edge thereof, and the front section is of greater width than the back section and has the free edge thereof engaging under the flap to hold said front section in bowed relation relative to the back section and spaced from the impression transfer area.

5. A disposable unit according to claim 1, wherein impression transfer areas are provided on both of the sections in facing relation to each other.

6. A disposable unit according to claim, including a tab on the front section overlapping the ap to hold the liap in closed relation to the free edge of the front section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,089,459 5/1963 Picard 117-().5 2,626,884 1/ 1953 Ewing 117-361 2,783,877 3/ 1957 Colckening et al. 206-46 P 3,389,782 6/ 1968 Achermann et al 206-29 MURRAY KATZ, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

